Officer Kenneth Lester died from injuries he suffered in a two-vehicle accident nearly 25 years earlier after responding to an alarm call at The Point Liquor store on Boston Pike.

   As he was traveling on South 8th Street southbound, the driver of a semitrailer next to him turned right from the left lane onto South H Street westbound and they collided. The patrol car of Officer Lester became wedged under the semitrailer, causing him severe injuries while his K-9 partner, Cheri, suffered minor injuries.

   A 35-year-old male driver was charged with failure to signal a lane change, which were subsequently dismissed.

   Officer Lester was initially taken to Reid Hospital before being airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. On February 10, 2020, he passed away from complications of his injuries at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis.

   Officer Lester had previously served with the Centerville Police Department. He is survived by his wife, Polly Jane (née Kaiser); son, Andrew Reid (Stephanie Toschlog); daughter, Kendra Lynn (Mark Smith); sisters, Susan (Mike) Cougill and Donita Lester. His father had served as an Indiana State Police trooper.

This memorial honors an officer whose eligibility has been preliminarily determined to meet the criteria of a line of duty death.